I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

The sound of horses' hooves startled the people inside the house.

Soon, the door of the wooden house opened, and an old woman with gray hair and a slightly plump figure came out. Her face was covered with wrinkles, but her smile was very kind.

"Oh my goodness, are you Mr. Lynn and Miss Alice?"

When she saw Lynn and Alice, a warm expression appeared on her face.

"Quick, please come in! Judging from your appearance, you must have been traveling for a long time in the wind and snow!"

Immediately afterwards, an elderly hunter, who was also quite old but still in good health, came out of the house.

“Martha, go and prepare some hot soup for the guests,” he said to the old woman, then turned to Lynn with a simple, honest smile.

"Please don't stand outside, it's cold outside. Come in and warm up."

Lynn dismounted and observed the elderly couple discreetly.

Their eyes were clear, their manners natural, and their enthusiasm carried a touch of the simplicity and restraint unique to mountain people, showing no trace of pretense.

"Excuse me." Lynn nodded, took the horse, and led Alice into the courtyard.

The old hunter kindly helped them lead their horses to a makeshift stable and carefully added hay.

Stepping into the wooden cabin, a warm feeling mixed with the aroma of food wafted over them, instantly dispelling the chill from their bodies.

The room was simply furnished with a wooden table, a few chairs, animal skins and hunting tools hanging on the wall, and a crackling fire burning brightly in the fireplace.

The old woman, Martha, had already served two steaming cups of ginger tea.

"Hurry up and drink something hot to warm yourself up. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Thank you." Alice took the ginger tea, sipped it slowly, and her pale face gradually regained its color.

Two consecutive days of running around and being frightened left her extremely exhausted.

Sitting in this warm wooden house, drinking piping hot ginger tea, and smelling the aroma of food in the air, her tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

Perhaps... I'm overthinking it.

Lynn also took a sip of ginger tea; the spicy warmth slid into her stomach, which felt very comfortable.

He appeared to be casually surveying his surroundings, but he remained constantly on guard.

Dinner was quickly prepared. Although it consisted of simple roast meat, bread, and a pot of vegetable soup, it was a rare treat for the two who were starving.

At the dinner table, the elderly couple chatted warmly with them.

They said they were retired hunters who had lived here for decades. Their children had all gone to the city, leaving only the two of them, the old men, to guard this forest.

His words were filled with reminiscences of the past and satisfaction with the present.

Alice listened attentively, and even chatted with the old woman about some interesting things in the city, letting out a silvery laugh.

Looking at her unguarded smiling face, Lynn sighed inwardly.

That's it.

Perhaps I'm just being too suspicious.

At least I can get a good night's sleep tonight.

After dinner, the old woman Martha prepared two rooms for them.

"The conditions are simple, please make do with them," she said with a smile. "The bedding has just been aired and is very clean."

"Thank you very much," Lynn said politely.

Alice's room is on the left, and Lynn's is on the right.

Back in his room, Lynn checked the doors and windows to make sure everything was alright before sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed to begin his routine meditation.

After a long day, he was also quite tired and needed to recover through meditation.

The night grew deeper.

Outside the window, the wind and snow seemed to have intensified again.

Lynn was immersed in meditation, and his senses became incredibly sharp.

Just then.

A soft footstep came from the corridor.

The footsteps paused in front of Alice's door, as if listening to what was happening inside.

A few seconds later, footsteps sounded again, heading straight for Lynn's door.

"Boom, boom, boom."

A soft knock sounded on the door.

"Mr. Lynn, are you asleep?"

It was the voice of the old woman, Martha, filled with concern.

"Not yet, please come in." Lynn's tone was completely normal.

The door was pushed open, and Martha walked in carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming soup on it.

A rich aroma of mushrooms instantly filled the room.

"I noticed the weather was getting colder, so I thought I'd make some mushroom soup for you and Miss Alice to warm you up."

Martha placed the tray on the table with a kind smile on her face.

"It tastes so delicious, drink it while it's hot."

Lynn looked at the bowl of richly colored mushroom soup, with a few bright green scallions floating on the surface; it did look very tempting.

"Thank you so much," Lynn said, standing up with a smile.

"You're welcome, you're welcome." Martha waved her hand. "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer. I've also sent Miss Alice's portion over; please let her drink it while it's hot."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

Just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, Lynn's calm voice rang out from behind her.

"Madam, please wait a moment."

Martha turned around, her face still bearing that kind smile.

"Mr. Lynn, is there anything else?"

Lynn walked to the table, picked up the bowl of mushroom soup, sniffed it gently, and showed an expression of admiration on his face.

"It's delicious."

He looked up at Martha, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

"But I remember it's the dead of winter now, with heavy snow blocking the mountains, these mushrooms... probably won't be easy to find, right?"

Martha shook her head.

"Haha, sir, you're too kind. These are dried goods that I've stored away for a long time. They just need to be soaked in water."

"Oh, is that so?" Lynn nodded, as if she really believed what she said.

He carried the soup bowl and slowly walked up to Martha, his smile becoming somewhat intriguing.

"I am truly grateful for your kindness, Madam."

"only……"

He gently handed the soup bowl to Martha.

"For Miss Alice's safety, this soup is so special... please have a sip first."

Chapter 177 The Enchanted Tavern

The kind smile on the old woman Martha's face disappeared.

Her eyelid twitched involuntarily, but she quickly masked it with a sigh.

“Mr. Lynn, you…you must be joking?” Her voice was dry. “This soup was specially made for you and Miss Alice. How can an old woman like me drink food meant for guests?”

"Oh?" Lynn raised an eyebrow, his smile unchanged, but his eyes gradually turned cold.

Martha's eyes began to dart away, no longer daring to meet Lynn's gaze. She mumbled incoherently, trying to explain, "Besides... there's still plenty left in the pot. I'll drink it myself later, really. Please drink it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."

Seeing her panicked state, Lynn's last bit of hope vanished completely.

He sighed softly and casually placed the soup bowl in his hand on the cabinet by the door.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Lynn's voice was no longer polite at all.

"What's in this soup?"

Martha's body trembled violently. She looked up in disbelief, her lips quivering, but she couldn't utter a single word.

How can it be?

How could he know?

The medicine was colorless and odorless, as that person had specifically instructed, so even the most skilled physician might not be able to detect it.

"Surprised?" Lynn seemed to see right through her. "So you were all that enthusiasm during dinner to lower my guard, making it easier for you to put the drug in this soup, right?"

Lynn shook her head, her tone filled with disappointment.

"They didn't even bother to use a better drug."

While setting up fires, Lynn learned a lot about wilderness survival and danger identification in order to deal with various emergencies.

This includes a course called "Toxicity Identification".

At the time, Lynn just thought that it wouldn't hurt to learn more, but he never expected it would come in handy today.

He could tell at a glance that it was such a low-grade medicine.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..." Martha was still making a last-ditch effort.

"Still being stubborn?" Lynn's patience finally ran out.

He stepped forward and grabbed Martha by the throat.

"I'll ask one last time, who ordered you to do this?"

A murderous intent emanated from Lynn, instantly filling the entire room.

Martha had no doubt that if she dared to say "no," this seemingly gentle young man would crush her throat without hesitation.

"I'll talk...I'll talk!"

Fear completely shattered her psychological defenses, and Martha's tears instantly welled up.

"It's...it's someone who forced me! They kidnapped my son!"

Lynn loosened her grip slightly, but still didn't let go of her.

Explain clearly.

“It was…it was yesterday. I received a threatening letter.” Martha gasped for breath, her voice breaking. “In the letter…there was a finger wrapped in it…it was my son’s, and the ring I gave him at his wedding was still on it…”

“My son does business in Tianxi City nearby. They kidnapped him... and said... that if I don’t do what they say, they’ll cut off one of my son’s fingers every day until they chop him into mincemeat!”

At this point, Martha could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

Lynn frowned; he hadn't expected there to be such a hidden story behind it all.

"What did they ask you to do?"

“They told me… to drug your food, knock you unconscious, and then go to the… Butterfly Tavern in Tianxi City to report to the owner,” Martha said, crying. “I really had no choice… I couldn’t just watch my son die!”

"My husband knows nothing. Please, don't hurt him. I did everything by myself!"

Tianxi City? The Enchanted Butterfly Tavern?

Lynn's brow furrowed even more.

It seems that to find out who is behind this, we'll have to make a trip to Xicheng.

The other party was very cautious; they did not show themselves directly, but instead carried out their business by controlling an innocent ordinary person.

This is really troublesome.